Rug and carpet tufting machine



April 16, 1935. w. LOOS RUG AND CARPET TUFTING MACHINE '7 Sheets-Sheet 1 m m R w h mm no on 0o 00 a o n u fi m o a n iNVENTQ Ia-81L! in:

April 1 6, 1935. w. 1.005 1,997,869

' RUG AND CARPET TUFTING. MACHINE Filed March 25, 1933 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY A I r ATTORNEY- April 16, 1935. w. LOOS 1,997,869

RUG AND CARPET T UFTING MACHINE ATTORNEY- April 16, 1935. w. LOOS 1,997,869

RUG AND CARPET TUFTING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1933 7 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOR- wabfi; uvs

' ATTORNEY April 16, 1935. w. Loos RUG AND CARPET TUFTING MACHINE Filed March 23, 1933 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR-V ww M ATTORNEY- April 16, 1935. w. LOOS RUG AND CAR'PQET TUFTING MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March 23, 1933 INVENTOR- (Um elm [Pmk ATTORNEY- April 16, 1935. w. LOOS RUG AND CARPET TUFTING MACHINE '7 Sheets-Sheet '7 15. F- l gig: F I i File-d March 23, 1933 S 71 ltrlllllllldrllrlt 7! I. II I m 7 W I' /L /l? lNVENTOR- mania-vs ATTORNEY- Patented Apr. 16, 1935 RUG, AND CARPET PATENT OFFICE TUFTING MACHINE Walter Loos, New York, N. Y., assignor of onefourth to Gerda Gjertson, Broo ly N. Y.

Application March 23,

12 Claims.

provide a machine in which a tufted rug of any desirable size can be completed in a brief operation without the necessity of continuously advancing'with respect to one another the needles. and the burlap or other textile webbing in which the tufts are formed; in which tufts can be formed without wastage of yarn; in which tufts of any desired length may be formed; and in which any desired color scheme or pattern may be produced as distinguished from prior tufting machines which were capable of producing only striped designs or plain colored carpets.

With these objects in view I provide a tufting machine in which a separate needle is provided for each tuft to be formed so that all the tufts can be made simultaneously and thus the carpet completed in two up and down movements of the needles with respect to the textile webbing. The tufts are formed by hooks or the like which pull straight the yarn formed into loops by the descending and retreating needles, so that it becomes unnecessary to cut the loops after the forming of the tufts, the cutting of the yarn into the desired tuft lengths being performed during Cal one stage of the tuft formation on-the needle side of the webbing.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully set forth in the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof which, however, is intended solely to illustrate the invention and not to define its scope for which reference should be had to the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the whole carpet tufting machine with the spool rack;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the tufting machine proper showing some of the spools;

Figs. 3 to 6 are sectional viewsalong lines 33, 44, 55 and 6--6 of Fig. 2, respectively, showing details of the yarn feeding mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view along lines 'I-l of Fig. 2;

Fig.8 is a sectional view along lines 88 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view along lines' 99 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view along lines Iii-l0 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a back view of the finished carpet; Fig. 12 is a longitudinal cross-section of the rear or yarn clipped part'of the machine shown in Fi l;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view along lines l3|3 of Fig. 12;

Figs. 14 to 22 are vertical cross sections of the 1933, Serial No. 662,243

tuft-forming needles and hooks in various operating positions; and I v Fig. 23 is a vertical cross-section of the finished carpet.

The yarn for the tufts of the carpet is carried on spools I rotatably supported in a framework 2 above the tuft-making machine proper. suming that the machine is of a size to produce a carpet .of the conventional 9 x.12 ft. size, the spools I will be wide enough to carry 540 windings of yarn supply and there will be 720 spools in all. In other words, there will be a separate yarn supply for each one of the 388,800 tufts of the carpet. The arrangement of the differently colored yarn supplies will determine the design of the carpet. The spools are rotatable on shafts 3 journaled in the framework 2, a ratchet and pawl arrangement 4 being provided for each spool to permit rotation in one direction only.

From the spools the yarn passes between corrugated rollers 5 and 6 rotatable in opposite di rections in end plates 1 of the framework 2. The corrugations of these rollers mesh so as to pull the yarn from the supply spool. There is one pair of corrugated rollers below each spool, the length of the corrugated rollers 5 and. 6 beingthe same as that of the spools. One-half of the corrugated rollers is driven by means of a chain 8, one end of which is fastened at. II] to a vertically movable rail 90 on which the needle bars 9 are resting and the other end of which is connected through a coiled spring II with the stationary frame l2 of the' tuft-making machine proper at l3. The

other half of the rollers 5 is driven by means of g a chain l4 mounted in a similar manner. The chains pass over sprocket wheels mounted on the end of each shaft carrying a roller 5 and are kept in position by means of a guide [6. The sprocket [5 drives the roller 5 through the agency of a conventional spring-pressed clutch H which rotates the roller 5 step by step in one direction only in response to successive up and down movements of the needle bars 9. The rollers 5 will cause the rotation of the rollers 6 and the step by step unwinding of each yarn from its supply.

The yarn fed out by the rollers 5 and 6 is threaded through the needles It. A row of 540 needles I8 is supported in a needle bar 9 which is of the same width as the spools I, there being the same number of needle bars 9 as there are spools, i. e., 720. The plates constituting the needle bars have a keyhole-shaped notch l9 for each needle, the needles themselves consisting'of tubes slit open as indicated at 20 almost throughout their lengths, the slits 20 being in alignment with the openings in the keyhole slots-l'9 at the edges of the needle bars 9. Each yarn is placed within a keyhole slot l9 and the slit 20 in the needle and then threaded through the tubular pointed end 2| of the needle. The yarns are held in place by means of spring clips 2| provided above the needle bars, one for each needle. When the needle bar is threaded, a yarn end hangs out of each needle as indicated in Fig. 14.

When a needle bar and its protruding needles are threaded, the 9-ft. wide needle bar is placed on angle irons 22 carried by cross pieces 23 which may slide on guides 24 in the framework I2 within limits of stops 25 and a jawhead 26. One needle bar after the other is thus set in place and the ends 21 of the needle bars which do not carry any needles (Fig. 8) are held down by means of heavy iron rails 28 extending the full length of the machine. A

When the needle bars are set in place the tubular ends 2| of the needles will project within the perforations in a follower plate 29 hung .by means of slidable joints 39 from the needle bars 9. The slidable joints 39 are so arranged that the follower plate 29 will descend with the needle bars 9, but thereafter the needle bars may be moved to a certain distance downward with respect to the follower plate 29. Similarly, when the needle bars rise, they will carry the follower plate 29 with them only during a portion of their travel. The lower surface of the follower plate 29 is roughened to insure firm gripping of yarn ends.

The next operation is to feed textile webbing 3| between the follower plate 29 and the needle guide 32. The webbing is carried in a supply winding 33 which rotates in a fork 34 of rail 35 of framework I2. From the supply winding 33 the webbing is carried over a pin roller 36 mounted on a bracket 31 of framework I2 and thence over a pair of idlers 38 mounted on a side plate 39 of the framework and an idler 49- mounted by a bracket 4| on the framework. From the idler 49 the webbing 3| is pulled onto an endless belt 42 carried by two rollers 43 and 44 at the two sides of the framework. Pins such as 46 (Fig. 9 project from the endless belt 42 firmly to grip the burlap. The endless belt 42 is driven by means of a gearwheel 41 mounted on the roller 44 and meshing with a g'earwheel 48 mounted on a roughened or pinned roller 49 onto which the burlap is led from'the roller 44. From the roller 49 the webbing is led onto an endless belt 59 carried by a roller 5| in the side plate 39 of the framework and a roller 52 on a leg 53 of the framework.

The roller 49, and through the agency of gears 48 and 41, the roller 44 may be rotated by a gear 54 carried on the end of the roller 49 opposite to the one on which gear 48 is mounted (Fig. 7). The gear 54 is engaged by a gear 55 carried by a toothed clutch 56 on shaft 51 driven by motor 58. By pulling out a lever 59 the clutch 58 is caused to engage and supply motive power from shaft 51 for the advancing of the webbing. When the webbing has been pulled clear across the tuftmaking machine, the knob 59 is pushed back into its normal position, causing thus the disengagement of clutch 56.

\ The tufting operation proper may now commence. The operator pulls out a plunger 69 (Figs. 7 and 8), projecting from the side of the framework I2, against the tension of a spring 6| and thus rocks, through the agency of a rod 82, a rocker arm 63 centrally pivoted at 64 on a bracket 65 carried on a stationary leg 68. A

. finger 61 carried by the free end of arm 63 is thus moved to the left (Fig. 8) and frees stop 68, whereupon a coiled spring 69 will force the teeth of clutch 19 into engagement. Motive power is now transmitted from a motor 1| th ough a menace worm drive 12 to the main driving shaft 13 which will set the gears and cams, best shown in Figs. 2, 7 and 8, into operation. Gear pairs 14, 15, 16, and 11, through the agency of their associated cam pairs 18, 19, 89 and BI (all cut alike), will move upward the free ends of bell cranks 82, 83, 84 and 85 (Fig. 2). The bell cranks are pivoted at their centers to the framework by means of brackets 88, 81, 88 and 89, and will draw downward the rail 99 by means of which the cross pieces 23 are interconnected throughout the length of the machine. The cross pieces will glide down on the guide 24 and lower the whole platform made up of the needle bars 9 until the stop 25 is reached.

During the initial stage of this downward movement, the follower plate 29 will press down firmly against the textile web 3|, clamping down the projecting yarn ends which have been bent over into the positions shown in Fig. 15 when the web was pulled through the machine.

During the further downward travel of the needle bars 9, the follower plate 29 remains stationary, holding by means of its roughened surface-the ends of the yarn. The needles I8 slowly penetrate through the interstices of the fabric 3| and into holes 9| of the needle guide 32. Through the agency of the chains 8 and I4, the rollers 5 and 8 are operated to feed yarn to the needles, the needles descending into the position shown in Figs. 16 and 17.

During the further revolution of the gears and cams, the needle bars and follower plate will be caused to rise into the position shown in Fig. 18 and at the same time a plate 92 will be lowered through the agency of arms like 93, 94 moved by cams like 95, 98. The cams 95 and 85 are carried on stub shafts 91, 98 driven by gears 99, I99, in mesh with gears 14 to 11. The plate 92 carries bars I9I corresponding in number to the needles I8, and on the ends of each bar a hook I92 is provided. The bars I 9I with their hooks I92 are normally within the holes 9| of the needle guide 32, which is stationary on the framework, the ends'of the hooks I92 lying within pockets adjacent to but communicating with each hole 9| (see Fig. 14). When the plate 92 travels downward, the hooks will be cammed to the left by the needle guide (Fig. 14) projecting with their ends within the loops of yarn formed upon the rising of the needles I8 (Fig. 18). The cams 95 and 9,6 are cut to cause a continuation of the downward travel of the hook carrying plate 92, and the hooks will pull down the yarn loops into one branch of a tuft, the formerly clamped yarn ends having been freed by the raised follower plate 29 (Fig. 19)

The shaft 13 has during this time performed less than one-half of its complete revolution. During the continued rotation of the shaft a cam I93 (Figs. 2 and 7) will operate a rocker arm to step, by means of a crank I95 and a spring-' pressed pawl I96, a toothed wheel I91. Through the agency of a toothed spring-pressed clutch I98, the pin roller 49 and therefore the pin roller 44 also will be rotated to advance the textile web one step. The length of this step corresponding to the spacing of the needles, is in the present case one-fifth of an inch. The relative positions of the needles and webbing will be illustrated in Fig. 20, i. e., with each needle opposite the hole previously made by the adjacent needle.

During the remainder of the revolution of the main driving shaft, some of the above described operations are substantially repeated. The needle bars and follower plate 29 descend, the needles I8 are pushed through the webbing-3|. but now through the holes previously made by the adjacent needles, the follower plate 29 and needle bars 9, as well as the hook holding plate 9 2,

are moved into the positions shown in Fig. 18,

causing the hooks I02 to engage the loops formed as shown in Fig. 22. However, from this point on a new operation is performed, 1. e., the severing of the yarns at the points indicated in Fig. 22

1 into the position shown in Fig. 19, causing a cam IIO (Fig. 7) mounted concentrically with cam 8I, to operate through the agency of a rocker bar II I, a bell crank II2 mounted on the frame of the machine, a shaft II3, by means of which a bevelled gear H4 is moved into engagement with a bevelled gear II5 (see Fig. 13). The bevelled gear I I5 is driven by motor 58 through the agency of shaft 51, gears H6 and III and shaft H3 in one direction and a bevelled gear I32 in the opposite direction. The gear will cause the revolution of shaft II9 on which the bevelled gear H5 is carried, and through a gear I mounted on the upper end of shaft I I9, a gear I2I will be rotated and cause the revolution of a. pinion I22. The pinion engages the teeth of a rack I23 (Figs. 12 and 13) in the lower face of a clipping table I24 carrying at its ends a stationary blade I25 and a'movable blade I26. Through the pinion and rack arrangement the table I24 is advanced to the left (Fig. 12), whereupon a motor I21 carried by said table is connected in circuit through a shoe I28 contacting with current-carrying rails I29. Through the gearing I30 the motor I21 will cause a chain. I3 I, carried in a groove of the table I24, to vibrate blade I26 from left to right and clip the yarn ends shown at the left-hand end of Fig. 12 at the points indicated at Fig. 22. When the table I24 has advanced the full width of the machine, the cam H0 will pull the shaft II3 to the right (Fig. 13), causing disengagement between gears I I4 and H5 and the engagement of bevelled gear II8 with bevelled gear I32 which, through the agency of shaft I33 and gear I34, will rotate the gear I2I in a direction oppcsite to the one previously described,.causing thus the pinion I22 to move through the rack I23, the table I 24 back into its normal position indicated in Fig. 12.

The cams controlling the hook plate 92 will now operate to move the latter into the position shcwn in Fig. 19, whereby the hooks I02 will pull through the yarn ends which have been severed and complete the formation of the tufts, as indicated in Fig. 23.

As the completion of the main shaft revolution approaches, the pin 68 will ride up on the cam surface I35 formed in the finger 61, opening the clutch 10 against the tension of spring 69 and returning the rod 62 to its normal position. All the gears and cams are now arrested, having returned the needle bars 9, follower 29, and hook holder 92 into the positions shown in Fig. 14. The operator now again actuates the button 59,

' causing in the previously described manner the advancing through the machine of the textile web which, in the present case, is the completed carpet, until the full length is pulled through the machine, whereupon the webbing in which the tufts'havebeen formed is severed from the rest of the roll in anysuitable manner and the completed carpet subjected to the usual finishing operations. v

. It should be noted that the height .of the nap which is formed in the carpet depends on the extent to which the needle bars '9 and follower 29 are raised and upon the positioning of the clipping blades I25, I26, both easily varied and adjusted operations. Therefore, not only is one enabled by the present invention toform in two operations a complete tufted'carpet of any preadetermined design, but also, without expensive alterations, short or long nap carpets may be made to suit requirements.

What is claimed is:

1. In a carpet tufting machine, a plurality of yarn supplies, one for each tuftto be formed,

means for holding the free ends of the yarns against the carpet webbing, means for passing each .yarn in a loop through the webbing, means for freeing the yarn ends, means for pulling the freed yarn ends through the webbing, means for again passing a yarn loop through the webbing, means for severing the yarn, and means for pulling through the webbing the severed yarn ends.

2. In a carpet tufting machine, a plurality of yarn supplies, one for each tuft to be formed, means for holding the free ends of the yarns against one side of the carpet webbing, means for passing each yarn ina loop through the webbing to the other side, means for freeing the yarn ends, means for pulling the freed yarn ends through the webbing to said other side, means for again passing a-yarn loop through the webbing to said other side, means for severing the yarn on said one side, and means for pulling through the webbing the severed yarn ends to said other side.

3. In a carpet tufting machine, a plurality of yarn supplies, one for each tuft to be formed, means for holding the free ends of the yarns against one side of the carpet webbing, means for passing each yarn in a loop through the webbing to the other side, means for freeing the yarn ends, means for pulling the freed yarn ends through the webbing to said other side, means for passing yarnloops through the webbing adiacent the pulled-through yarn ends, means for severing the yarn on said one side, and means for pulling through the webbing the severed yarn ends to said other side.

4. In a carpet tufting machine, needles on one side and hooks onthe other side of the carpet webbing, means including said needles for forming yarn loops on said other side of the webbing, means for severing the yarn on said one side of the webbing, and means including said hooks for pulling said loops into straight tufts onsaid other side of the webbing.

5. In a carpet tufting machine, needles on one side and hooks on the other side of the carpet webbing, means including said needles for forming each yarn into two loops on said other side of the webbing, means for severing the yarn on said one. side of the webbing, and means including said hooks for pulling said loops into straight tufts on said other side of the webbing.

6. In a carpet tufting machine, needles on one side and hooks on theother side of the carpet webbing, means including said needles for forming yarn loops on said other side of the webbing,

means including said hooks for pulling said loops into straight tufts on the other side, means for operating said needles to form the yarn into second loops on said other side, means for severing the yarn on said one side of the webbing, and means including said hooks for pulling said second loops into straight tufts on said other side of the webbing.

7. In a carpet tufting machine, a plurality of yarn supplies, one for each tuft to be formed, a plurality of needles, one for each yarn supply, for passing the yarns through the carpet webbing, a follower plate below said needles having a hole in alignment with each needle, means for moving webbing below said follower, means for lowering the follower to hold against the upper side of the webbing the yarn ends which have been moved with the webbing, means for lowering said needles with said follower and independently of said follower until said needles penetrate through said follower and said webbing, means responsive to the lowering of said needles for drawing yarn from said supplies, a plurality of hooks below the webbing, one for each needle, means operative upon the lowering of said needles for lowering said hooks and raising said follower and needles whereby said hooks are'caused to engage yarn loops and draw through the webbing the yarn ends freed by said follower, means operable thereupon to advance said webbing a distance equal the spacing between two needles, means for raising said hooks and lowering the needles and follower, means for again raising said needles, means operative upon the last mentioned raising of the needle bars to sever all said yams-between the webbing and the needles, and means operative thereupon for lowering said hooks to engage the last formed loops and pull through the webbing the severed yarn ends.

8. In a carpet tufting machine, a. plurality of yarn supplies, one for each tuft to be formed, a plurality of hollow needles within which the yarns pass, one needle being provided for each yarn supply, a needle bar in which said needles are held, a follower plate below said needles having a hole in alignment with each needle, a needle guide below said follower having holes in alignment with the holes in the followena hook within each hole in said needle guide, a plate below 'said guide carrying said hooks, a supply of carpet webbing, means for moving said webbing between said follower and guide, means for lowering the follower to press said webbing against said guide and hold the yarn ends which have been moved with the webbing, means for lowering said needle bar until said needles penetrate through said follower within the holes in said needle guide, means responsive to the lowering of said needle bar for drawing yarn from said supplies, means operative upon the lowering of said needle bar for lowering the hook holding plate with respect to the needle guide and raising said follower and needle bar whereby said hooks are caused to engage yarn loops hanging within the holes in the guide and draw through the webbing the yarn ends freed by said follower, means operable thereupon to advance said webbing a distance equal the spacing between two needles, means for raising the hook plate and lowering the needle bar and follower, means for again raising said needle bar, means operative upon the last mentioned raising of the needle bar to sever all said yarns between the webbing and the follower, and

hooks to engage the last formed loops and pull through the webbing the severed yarn ends.

9. In a carpet tufting machine, a plurality of yarn supplies, one for each tuft to be formed, a plurality of hollow needles within which the yarns pass, the needles being longitudinally slotted to facilitate threading and one needle being provided for each yarn supply, a plurality of needle bars in which said needles are held, each bar having keyhole-shaped slotsopen at the edge of the bar to facilitate threading, a follower plate below said needles having a hole in alignment with each needle and a roughened under surface, a needle guide below said follower having holes in alignment with the holes in the follower, a hook within each hole in said needle guide, a plate below said guide carrying said hooks, a supply of carpet webbing, means including an endless belt for moving said webbing between said follower and guide and holding it taut, means for lowering the follower to press said webbing against said guide and hold with its roughened surface the yarn ends projecting from the needle ends which have been moved with the webbing, means for lowering said needle bars with said follower and independently of said follower until said needles penetrate through said follower within the holes in said needle guide, means responsive to the lowering of said-needle bars for drawing yarn from said supplies, means operative upon the lowering of said needle bars for lowering the hook holding plate with respect to the needle guide and raising said follower and needle bars whereby said hooks are caused to engage yarn loops hanging within the holes in the guide and draw through the webbing and within the guide holes the'yarn ends freed by said follower, means operable thereupon for actuating said endless belt to advance said webbing a distance equal the spacing between two needles, means for raising the hook plate and lowering the needle bars and follower, means for again raising said needle bars but to a greater height than in the first mentioned instance, a yarn cutter, means operative upon the last mentioned raising of the needle bars for introducing said cutter between the follower and the webbing to sever all said yarns, means for removing said outter, means operative thereupon for lowering said hooks to engage the last formed loops and pull through the webbing and within the guide holes the severed yarn ends, and means including said endless belt for removing the finished carpet.

10. In a carpet tufting machine, a plurality of rows of needles, one needle for each tuft to be formed, means for twice simultaneously operating all said rows of needles each to form two yarn loops in the carpet webbing, means for advancing between said two operations the webbing a distance equal to the spacing mtween two needles, and means for forming all said loops into tufts.

11. In a carpet tuiting machine, a. needle bar having'keyhole-shaped notches along one edge, and a hollow needle longitudinally slotted within each notch.

12. In a carpet tufting machine, a needle bar having keyhole-shaped notches along one edge, needles longitudinally slotted with the slots in alignment with the open ends of the notches, and tubular pointed ends for said needles.

WALTER LOOS. 

